The Edifice

by Alexandra Y. Jones

After the savagery of World war 70, one man by the name of Sesshoumaru Taisho revives the world, renamiing and rebuilding Tokyo as Apaxipolis. This grand city is home to millions of people who are content, but after a supposed suicide, his brother Inuyash

2. Beginning the Quest

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not owned by stupid me… I should have invented it earlier…

"The Edifice"

By: Alexander Y. Jones

(Chapter 2)

Beginning the Quest

Inuyasha stared out into the night sky of Apaxipolis. It was a calm, beautiful night. This very night he was experiencing at the moment, was the same as when Sesshoumaru flung himself off the top of the central building of Apaxipolis. Speaking of which, Inuyasha never really liked. It was the only historical building that had been left standing and was built in the wake of the Nazis. Over the courses of time, the once small and insignificant building became larger and larger until it eventually reached up to two thousand stories high. It was a large black building and was known to Apaxipolis as "The Edifice". People treated the building as if it wasn't there. One man had once crashed his car because he didn't know that the building was there. Inuyasha did not get it. He saw it, he was sure he saw it, and he was aware of it as were his other friends he had met several years back. He had met them when he made the fatal mistake of making himself known to the world.

For many years after his large encounter with millions of people, Inuyasha was disgusted with himself. And when he found out that there were actually some people who actually agreed with what he believed, he was not thrilled. He was too upset and worried about how Sesshoumaru would feel. And eventually, he made Sesshoumaru snap, and now he was gone. What was the world to do without Sesshoumaru? The sound of Kagura's sobbing from next door brought the hanyou back into reality. Inuyasha winced. When they returned home Kagura had thrown a fit at him. She blamed him for the death of Sesshoumaru and that not only had he ruined her life but the whole bloodstream of Apaxipolis. He had not meant to do such things, and yes, Inuyasha did blame himself, and he still refused to open up to the five strangers that offered to befriend him. He hated society, and that was the reason why Inuyasha was unknown to the world. This was another point that Kagura had brought up when they came back from the funeral. She told him that she knew very well that he was not interested in running a city with over 40 million inhabitants. She was correct, Inuyasha did not give a damn and would have happily let Sesshoumaru deal with it.

But, what Kagura didn't know about Inuyasha was his nonconformity. Inuyasha was such a maverick that he even refused to hang out with the five, very few nonconformists. He was happy to be by himself because for over three thousand years he lived his life in solitude. In the beginning, when he was a child, Inuyasha did not understand why everyone hated him. The only one who accepted him for who he was, was Sesshoumaru. Otherwise, he was shunned from the world and stamped as a walking shame for his father. Eventually, Inuyasha grew to accept the malicious accusations and biting comments. Then he learned to get used to it. By the time he reached the age of three-hundred, he had grown completely comfortable with loneliness. Sesshoumaru, in his part became worried about him, but Inuyasha pushed him away and asked him to leave him alone. The demokairism that mocked him and jeered at him was what protected him from WW70. Inuyasha had left the world to be on his own. He was over a thousand years old, and did not care for the world. He knew that the world had been growing more and more corrupt just by the scent in the air, but he did not care. He was secretly glad that this was happening and hoped that the war destroyed everyone's lives.

Then the heavens gave him the gift of WW70, the disastrous war that decimated the world and tore it to pieces. But he was not there to witness the beginnings nor was he there to see the tension build more and more until it exploded in a fiery ball of incest, pain, and discord. He, Inuyasha had been in the deepest darkest cave he could find and stayed there when he turned 350 years old. He never saw WWI and the rise to the digital world. He did not care, and when Sesshoumaru came to find him after WW70, the hanyou was half dead from starvation. He could have gladly died in the cave not knowing what was going on around him, but no, Sesshoumaru brought him into the world and the world corrupted his mind. Inuyasha was a bit resentful towards his brother, but he still cared for him and loved him, he had known Sesshoumaru since forever and he had been protected and fed by his half-brother when he was a child. At first, when Inuyasha first came out from his cave after over three thousand years, he refused to accept the world, but later, he grew accustomed to it again and started to go to work.

Inuyasha became an anonymous artist creating controversial work that would have been spit upon if Sesshoumaru did not purify the world. He often worked with murals and frescos, and sometimes did some canvases and digital art, but he was mostly a traditional artist. His artworks were often violent and though galleries did accept them, they were largely ignored. Thus, if it hadn't been for Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha would have been broke, using his own blood for paint. He was silent, and reserved, he refused to appear in parties and dances that Sesshoumaru tried to force him to go to, he refused to date, but there was one woman who took his breath away, and when his family found out that Inuyasha had decided to take up a pre-mate, they were delighted for him. The woman that Inuyasha fell for was Kikyou Hikaru, a beautiful and calm woman with an icy edge. They had gone out for five years until Kikyou tore his heart to shreds when she suddenly left him for another man named Naraku. He did not understand why she had left him and tried to ask her just what he had done to make her leave him, but the only reply he got from her was a cold shoulder. It was then when Inuyasha re-discovered the long forgotten emotions of anger, pain, and sorrow. And it was also then, when his artwork changed dramatically.

His paintings changed from peaceful complaints to gory, bloody interpretations of Apaxipolis and eventually, Inuyasha began to write a book, a book that was absent from the world, it was one based on existentialism and authenticity. In order to avoid conflict with his brother, Inuyasha had kept the book hidden in the depths of his room where only he knew existed. He had already finished the whole book and was in the midst of editing it, but did not want to publish it. For if he were to publish such controversial book, then he would receive attention from the whole world, which was what he had been avoiding for ages. He could have shown the book to the five nonconformists that had (and still were) been trying to get him to join them, but it was his and it was private. To be frank, Inuyasha hated the nonconformist group, he felt that they wanted too much attention and tried his best to avoid them. But that was not the major reason why he disliked them so much. The main reason was because of a woman named Kagome. Seeing Kagome destroyed Inuyasha on the inside, she reminded him too much of Kikyou, and to feel as if "Kikyou" was being what she used to be to him, made him want her more.

Damn! He had been so close to hating Kikyou, which was what he wanted to do so much. She told him to hate her, and he told her that he would, but he never actually said it and meant it. To make matters worse, Kikyou knew that when he told her he hated her on the day they split, that he didn't mean it. She seemed to enjoy watching him roast in pain. Inuyasha shook his head violently. He didn't want to think about her anymore, so in order to clear his mind, he slowly slid off his bed and slithered under the bed. Inuyasha reached forward and pushed a small floor trimming back and slid it so that it revealed a small hole, which he reached into to withdraw a book. The said hanyou slithered back out from under his bed after replacing the floor trimming and sat back on his bed. He fingered the book, which was black and untitled. This was his book. Inuyasha slowly opened the book and ran his fingers over the smooth, creamy pages that were filled with elegant black letterings; these letterings belonged to him. Despite his rugged look and his authenticity, the smooth, flowing scripture reflected his shy and elegant nature and his gentleness. He had been to tender for his own good when it came to Kikyou. Inuyasha shook his head again before he flipped to the way back where he wrote: And now… these words of wisdom will fade away from existence as have I. For a moment, he sat there watching the back cover of the open book. Time seemed to fly by as he slowly ran his fingers over the surface, so gently, almost as if he was a blind man reading brail.

And he sat there for quite a while when his calloused fingers slipped off the letters and over the edges of something that was folded and hidden in the book. Inuyasha didn't notice it at first, he simply frowned, wondering what happened to his book, when he thought he smelled something familiar. Inuyasha's frown deepened. Slowly, he lifted his fingers to his nose and sniffed them gently. Yes, he knew the scent it was Sesshoumaru's. But it was strange… the scent was fresh as if Sesshoumaru was in his room just an hour ago. He frowned to himself in confusion and quickly grabbed the book and brought it to his nose. He sniffed more loudly and let his brain process Sesshoumaru's scent. How strange… Inuyasha thought to himself, How very strange… according to my senses, Sesshoumaru was here thirty minutes ago… Unlike that of a dead person, Sesshoumaru's scent on the book was filled with vitality. But it was absurd, Sesshoumaru was dead, he swore he saw him lying in his coffin just two hours ago. Without thinking twice, Inuyasha reached over and snatched his blade he used to sharpen his pencils for drawing and carefully separated the page from the cover of the book. The air seemed to thicken around Inuyasha, there was a single white paper folded carefully and fitted into the back of his book. Furrowing in brow in confusion, Inuyasha took the paper out and opened it. Sure enough, on the paper, Sesshoumaru's elegant handwriting looped and glided to form his name: To my dear Brother.

Inuyasha,

It shouldn't be long before you come and find out that I have left a letter for you and that I have also read your book. I am writing you this letter, because it is imperative that you know this bit of information. As of now the whole world will believe me dead, and that was exactly what I wanted. Do not be alarmed when I tell you that I am not. I have had my death staged because I knew that without me, the Band of Discordants would act to destroy Apaxipolis. It may be something that I do not want, but like you said, the world must suffer at least a little bit to make things right again for some time. I know that you do not want to be a part of my political mess, however, I need your help, and you will need some help yourself. The Band of Discordants in Apaxipolis that are trying to thwart the peace of the people and corrupt the currently pure minds. The same people are also in search for Elektromagnetiks, which you should know very well. I should have destroyed it and all other traces of its existence when I had the chance, but I let my pride take over and so Elektromagnetiks still exists. Therefore, you must find it before the Band of Discordance do. They have been in search for Elektormagnetiks in order to create world war eighty, why I do not know. That is something that I need for you to find out. Another thing that the Band of Discordants are in search for is the keeper of the Shikon no Tama; I believe this is something that needs some explanations, so I shall explain it to you. In your book, you have wondered how I kept such a peaceful world for so long and how I had managed to satisfy the people. You are correct in that humans and youkais and even hanyous are evil and greedy by nature. And you are also correct in that there is nothing we can do to fix it, but have found something or someone who held onto a small piece that would keep the world pure forever as long as she was not corrupted herself. The Shikon no Tama is a jewel of purity and was what made the Apaxipolese pure people. As pure as the Shikon no Tama gets, it can be easily tainted if the keeper is corrupted. If the keeper I knew then was still alive I could have easily directed you to her, but alas, the keeper is a human miko, and as you know humans are not immortal like us youkais and hanyous. Therefore the Shikon no Tama has been passed down for centuries from one pure miko to another. This is another one of your jobs, you must find this miko and protect her from the Band of Discordants. You may hate me right now, for leaving you such responsibilities, but you are the only one that I can trust without worrying about getting hurt. You may be hanyou, but you are very powerful and you have proved it to me when you killed Ryuuseki the dragon youkai that even father could not kill and only seal. It is also here where I must tell you a deep secret about you that even you did not know about. In your left eye is the black pearl, it is the portal that leads you to father's tomb. There, you will find a sword called the Tetsusaiga, which was forged from father's fang. Use it well, and protect the keeper from the Band of Discordants. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you who the members of the Band of Discordants are for I do not know, but you are smart and observant enough to figure that out. I am leaving Apaxipolis under your hands for a while until I have sorted out a problem that I have figured out ten years ago. I will not ask you not to find me, for I know you will, but what I will tell you is to postpone your search for me and find the keeper of the Shikon no Tama first and my hidden weapon first. She and Elektromagnetiks are much more important than this Sesshoumaru. Also take care of Kagura for me, I know that she is not feeling well and please do not tell her than I am still alive. I will return to her in open arms when the time is right.

Your Brother,

Sesshoumaru Taisho

Inuyasha looked up, perplexed. He could not understand what was what. He had been so sure the man in the coffin was Sesshoumaru, he even smelled like him! Inuyasha frowned, and scanned the letter, sniffing it and squinting suspiciously at the letter. He almost hoped someone was impersonating his brother. No matter how hard he looked, or how hard he sniffed, he had been convinced that the letter was no doubt, written by Sesshoumaru. But how on earth was his brother expecting him to find elektromagnetiks in such a large city. Even more importantly, where exactly was his brother? Inuyasha sighed and stood up, all this was too confusing to digest, the Discordants, this woman who was supposed to be guarding the Shikon no Tama, and then there was something else. The poor, confused Hanyou sat there for a moment, still clutching onto Sesshoumaru's letter. The book he had written lay forgotten on the floor. It wasn't until now that Inuyasha forgotten about his books.

A small tap on Inuyasha's door brought him back into reality. "What?" He snapped a bit too rudely. The door creaked open, and Rin stuck her head into the room. "What the fuck do you want?" Inuyasha growled at his niece. The said woman ignored him and invited herself into his room without even asking him. "HEY! Who said that you can come into my room anyways?" Rin sat at the edge of his bed and stared intently at him.

"You miss him don't you?" She asked softly.

"Miss who?"

"Who else would you possibly miss besides my father."

"KEH! I don't miss him. He and his goddamn peace bullshit gave him what he deserved." Inuyasha turned his head away from the girl, and stared at a small spot of paint on the floor. This was another trait of Inuyasha. He refused to show any signs of gentleness or caring, but deep down inside he did care. It was just that he didn't want to show it to anyone. He was never comfortable with showing any signs of care and love, especially after the way Kikyou had hurt him beyond words. Yet, he could not escape Rin or anyone in his family. To them, he was like an open book. Abruptly, Inuyasha pivoted around and glared at the said woman sitting at the edge of his bed. "And who asked you to sit on my bed. Get off!" Rin frowned, but did not get off his bed. It did not surprise him, since Rin got her stubbornness from his brother. "Oy! Did you not hear me? Get off! No, get out! Scam!" Inuyasha made frantic shooing motions that made him appear a bit ridiculous, but he did not notice it until Rin giggled a bit. "Now what? Did uncle Yashie do something stupid again?" He spat.

"I miss daddy."

"Keh!" Was the only response he would give Rin.

"Why are you so mean, you're so different from daddy and everyone else that lives in this city." Rin turned her downcast gaze toward Inuyasha, her eyes now glazed with curiosity. Another thing that Inuyasha hated; curiosity. It was something that troubled people and youkais, that eventually gave them a piece of its own mind. Curiosity was natural in everyone, but in this case, it was something that was considered a family trait. Even he, Inuyasha, got curious a lot. "Why are you so different from everyone else? Why couldn't you just let go a flow with the rest if the crowd? How come you hate this place so much? Do you really hate everyone that much? Why did daddy even bring you back?"

"AUUUUUUUUURAAAAAAHHHHH! So much damn questions! Get the hell out of here, you wretch! You're making me want to throw up on you!" Rin stood up sadly.

"I only wanted some consolation after the death of my father. It seems as if you don't care, but as always, we all know that you do care deep down inside."

"Did you not hear me? GET. OUT!"

Rin stood up from Inuyasha's bed and shuffled out of his room. "Sheesh, Uncle Yasha's so pesky and touchy. I wished he could just loosen up…" Inuyasha jumped up from his position on the floor and roared at his niece, scaring her senseless. Rin quickly ran out of the room, and Inuyasha followed her, almost as if chasing her, and when he got to the door, he slammed the door shut. The door crashed into its frame with an explosion and a bang that literally shook the room and broke the frames, causing a bit of dust. When the dust settled, the door was mangled up into part boards, part splinters. He winced. Kagura was not going to like this, she was sure to come soon to investigate what caused such racket.

Sure enough, he could hear her getting up from her bed. She had stopped sobbing her eyes out, and had pulled the sheets of her bed back. Now he could hear her slippers shuffling across the floor. Oh crap! Inuyasha thought bitterly to himself. Here we go again… he sighed as the remains of his doors were kicked open by a slender leg with silk slippers. Kagura had poked her head into his room. Her ruby-red eyes were no longer sad and tear-brimmed, but now burning with annoyance. "Inuyasha," She snapped angrily, "This is the tenth door you crashed this week! What on earth is the matter with you?" The said woman placed her hands on her hips and tapped her feet impatiently. He knew she was waiting for an answer.

"Rin. That's the problem. She still continues to be annoying even if she's already grown up and has a fiancé." Kagura sighed.

"Give her a chance." She said more gently, "She just lost her father as I have lost my husband and as you have lost your brother. People mourn in different ways."

"Keh! You call bombarding a person with questions mourning?" Inuyasha raised one thick eyebrow at Kagura, who was now clutching her head in frustration.

"Well, do you call growling and screaming at innocent people mourning? Why and how did you become so opposite from… from… Sesshoumaru? You're always so angsty and angry, why?" Kagura's angry eyes faded again, and was replaced with tears and sorrow. "How come you refuse to help people that are upsetted by… by…" Kagura never finished, because she relapsed into crying again. Inuyasha sighed. He hated it when people cried. He thought it was stupid and inconsiderate of the person next to them. If they wanted to cry, then they should just cry in private. Take care of Kagura for me… Sesshoumaru's words loomed into his head. He looked from the sobbing woman, then away and then back again. Should he tell her the truth, should he wave Sesshoumaru's letter in her face? Do not tell Kagura that I am alive… Why? He wondered to himself. Suddenly, he knew. Sesshoumaru did this to keep Kagura out of the trouble. He did it to blind her from the problems that Sesshoumaru and he himself had been going through. Inuyasha grinded his teeth together in anger. I wish I could send you a response to this letter, but I do not know where you are. Inuyasha stood up. No. He would do as Sesshoumaru told him for now, but he would eventually tell Kagura.

He had been told to take care of Kagura for his brother, and that meant to keep her out of pain. If Sesshoumaru wanted to keep Kagura out of the face of danger, then he had to take the wool off her eyes. In order for Kagura to be safe, then she had to see the world for what it was. Inuyasha stood up. "Shut up." He snapped. Those two words were from Inuyasha's own private dictionary, he was rude and mean, but in this case, "Shut up" meant, "Please don't cry". Kagura stopped crying and looked up and Inuyasha who was now standing with his fists to his side. "Do you think that I don't know about losing someone I love?" Inuyasha turned his angry gaze to Kagura who was now staring at him, her eyes wide with shock from his coldness. "I've lost someone I love, and you know about it. You've seen me after I lost her. Though she may not have been physically dead, her leaving me in such a cold manner was the same as her leaving me to the underworld." Kaguras stared at him, "Did you ever see me sob in someone else's face like that? No! I never did that!"

"You don't have the emotions that normal people carry."

"I don't have emotions? What am I, a cyborg? I'm flesh and bones like everyone else in this world! I have other emotions besides anger and annoyance, okay? I feel like you and every other goddamn living creature in this world does! But I don't shed a tear! Why?" Kagura averted her gaze from Inuyasha and shook her head, in response to Inuyasha's explanation. "Because there are others outside of Apaxipolis that suffer so much more than losing someone they love. They are in starvation, and though Sesshoumaru tries his best to expand Apaxipolis all around the world to salvage them, he cannot. Those people are constantly at war, every day, they lose a friend or a loved one. Death is nothing new to them, Suffering is all they can get, there are crimes committed out there, murder, rape, theft, incest, chaos! Apaxipolis is not the world! I've seen it all, and so has Sesshoumaru, and that is the exact reason why he's been going through so much stress."

"I don't believe you." Was the reply he received from Kagura. He stood up, and looked down at Kagura, who looked back up at him with determination in her eyes. "You may have traveled far and wide, but I don't believe you."

"Fine then." Inuyasha snapped. He reached down and grabbed Kagura by her wrist.

"What? Hey! LET GO!" Inuyasha dragged her into her room and tossed her onto the floor. "What are you trying to do?" Kagura asked fearfully, now clutching her robes to her chest.

"Get dressed. If you won't believe me, then maybe seeing it with your own eyes would do the trick." Kagura looked up at him.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" She stared up at Inuyasha, who had his fists to his side and was glaring off into the distance. I'm sorry Sesshoumaru, but she must see what lies beyond the walls of Apaxipolis. "What the hell is going on?" Kagura screeched, standing up. "Hey! I'm speaking to you!" Finally, Inuyasha turned his head to her, but his eyes were burning with anger and indigence.

"You said that I may have traveled far and wide, farther than anyone else in this city, and that I didn't know anything. You're right, I have traveled far and wide, but I've seen things that the people of this city are oblivious to. Poverty, starvation, crimes, hate, sorrow, anger… everything that has been abolished from this city. You are different from everyone else, you get angry, because you have seen the dregs of war, you have felt the waves of discord, and hate. You KNOW about it as well as Sesshoumaru and I and anyone else who has seen and lived through the world. That very era still lives outside the city wall. Once you step out, you will realize how different the world beyond those walls are. You will feel as if you've stepped into a time machine and returned to our age… the age where we were born."

Kagura's eyes widened, "what do you mean?"

"Get dressed and follow me. Then you shall see what's been bothering Sesshoumaru all this time. And perhaps you may realize and be able to feel what you've felt before Apaxipolis came to life." Kagura took a step back, Inuyasha's eyes burned into her face.

"N-n-no…" She whispered, "I can't see it."

"You MUST see it!" Inuyasha shouted, making her jump slightly. "If you don't see it they will eat you alive!" He pointed out into the busy streets below. "They, the same people who'd eaten away at my brother and your husband, wish to destroy this city."

"You mean the people that lie outside the city walls."

"No, stupid!" Inuyasha clenched his fist for the umpteenth time, and shouted, "DANGER ALREADY LURKS WITHIN THE CITY!" His voice seemed to echo through the large bedroom. Kagura's knees buckled and weakened until she sank into the grounds. Inuyasha's bangs covered his eyes as he began to speak again, this time more calmly, "Those people out there, the ones that suffer, they want to reform. They love this city, and they have heard of its splendor from the many few who has ever left it. They do not want to destroy Apaxipolis, they want to become a part of it. There are a small group of people who are already in Apaxipolis that want to destroy it. If you want to save yourself from them, then you must see." Inuyasha lifted his head slightly, just enough for his eyes to show again, "Join me in the quest to find the guardian of the Shikon no Tama."

"But… but…"

"Your life is in danger. The Band of Discordants are after you. If they find you, they will kill you, and to kill you is their ultimate goal. You are all that is left for the city to hope for, that is because they do not know that the reason to their purity is because of one miko that guards the Shikon no Tama. You should know more about this Shikon no Tama more than I do, maybe as much as Sesshoumaru does, I need your help to find her before the Band of Discordance does. She too is in great danger." Kagura stood up.

"Very well. I will see what I have not seen in over three thousand years."

"Good. Now get dressed… but wear your kimono." Kagura paused, her hands inches away from her jeans and shirt. Inuyasha stood at the door frame with his back to her. "That world has plunged back into the feudal era. The trees have outgrown the rubble and the cement and steel has long since vanished. There are no computers, no cars, no internet, no buses, no nothing. All they have are thatched huts and horses. They wear traditional clothes and they do what Japan used to do seven thousand years ago." Kagura nodded. She was not a novice at traditional Japanese wear, for she was born in feudal Japan thousands of years ago as was Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. She was not sure about other youkais, but for now, she was certain that they may be the only three who had survived long enough to remember it. She reached into her closet and withdrew a maroonish-pink and white kimono. It had been so long since she last wore it. "I'll be waiting outside." Was Inuyasha's only reply.

Inuyasha stood outside the door with his back leaning against the wall near Kagura's door. He needn't not to change, he was already in his fire rat haori and his traditional hakama and white undershirt. He wore no shoes and his silver hair was long as always while his snow-white ears peeped flamboyantly out for all to notice. It was those two ears that this Kagome woman was so interested in. Inuyasha frowned. So much like Kikyou… he thought to himself sadly. The doors to Kagura's room slid open and Kagura herself stepped out. She wore her kimono the proper way along with the thin, yellow obi and she even carried her magical fan, which she had abandoned long ago. Inuyasha pushed himself off the walls and began to walk away, this meant that it was time to go. He felt apprehensive… a bit. Outside Apaxipolis was the world that returned to the past, the past where Hanyous were hated. He didn't know what the youkais outside Apaxipolis would do if they saw him. Or even worse, how they would treat his sister-in-law. Although Inuyasha ceased to show any signs of affection, he was very protective of his relatives and those he loved. He cast a sideways glance at Kagura who followed him. She too was barefooted. They slowly made their way out of the palace they lived in and into the busy streets.

They were so oddly dressed, that people on the streets stopped to stare. Inuyasha simply shot them a glare, that surely shut them up and sent them scuttling away. He continued to weave through the crowds, his shoeless feet touching the rough cement floor. It had been ages since he hadn't worn shoes and it felt good without them. He continued to lead Kagura through the crowd when suddenly, "Inuyasha!" He flinched. He knew who that voice belonged to. "Inuyasha! OVER HERE!" He decided it was best to ignore them, but soon he found himself face-to-face with her. Kagome Higurashi. She was wearing red and white Miko garbs. Her Persian blue eyes twinkled with anticipation. Kagura behind him smiled slightly.

"What the fuck do you want wretch?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your goddamn business." Was his friendly reply. "Move."

"Tsk, tsk, Inuyasha, I know you hate us all, but really, we can help you." He the second voice as well. It was none other than Miroku Katsana, the annoying, lecherous monk. The said monk stepped forward, his staff jangling in harmony with his movement. He had jet-black hair tied back into a tiny ponytail at the base of his neck and wore purple and indigo monk robes. He also had a gloved hand, that was purple. Inuyasha always wondered why he had the glove on his hand. Damn his curiosity and damn all his ancestors before him that developed it. "I see that you're wearing true traditional clothes, which means that you want to go out of Apaxipolis."

"So?"

"Inuyasha, behave." Was Kagura's simple reply; but she was not there. She was hidden in the depths of the crowd, trying her best to push through the mass of people that had somehow managed to separate her a little bit from Inuyasha. Nonetheless, he could still keep and eye on her and she could be reassured that Inuyasha had not ditched her into the crowd for her own demises.

"Shaddup! I don't want to associate with nonsense freaks that want so much fucking attention." Kagura sighed, still making vain attempts to reach her brother-in-law and a very adamant inu hanyou before her. Another thing she had to put up with Sesshoumaru was is stubbornness. Seeing how stubborn Inuyasha was, meant that stubbornness was another family trait. Anyway, Miroku cocked his head to the side and was about to ask Inuyasha who he was talking to, when the said man suddenly snapped, "It's none of your business! If you touch Kagura, then I'll rip you to shreds." Miroku shrank back, discouraged, but Kagome did not seemed disheartened at all. In fact, she raised her chin up slightly and asked Inuyasha straight out:

"Well, that isn't our point, you idiot!"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, making him look much like Sesshoumaru, as Kagura observed. "Get lost. And so what if that wasn't your goddamn point? Go have some stupid holiday fun. I don't have any time for it."

"So you are going! Excellent! We are too!" the Kagome woman spoke up happily. Inuyasha glared at the woman before him. He had to get out before she made the offer to: "Lets all go together." Never mind. He was too late. Inuyasha snarled to himself about annoying women. Behind Kagome, a woman named Ayame put her hand on Kagome's shoulder.

"Uh… are you sure it'll be fun to go with him. No offense, but the guy's really cocky. Sheesh, I would have rather hung out with even Sesshoumaru than him. At least Sesshoumaru's…" Ayame never finished, because both Kagome and her best friend Sango jumped on her and covered her mouth. Nevertheless, the damage had been done. Inuyasha's already narrowed eyes narrowed even more so that they were mere slits. His lips thinned considerably, the upper right hand corner of his lip raised slightly. He let out a low, menacing growl, it vibrated at the back of his throat and made an effect that made his slightly raised upper lip tremble as well. Inuyasha felt the blood rush to his face while he clenched his fists at the side. The growl started very quietly, in fact, it was so quiet that nobody heard it, except for Kouga, who had not yet interfered into the conversation. Grrr… Inuyasha snarled, his fists drew blood from his palms, letting a small stream of bright red ribbon flow off his palm and down his wrists.

"Ayame… Sesshoumaru's his brother." Sango managed to hiss, "And they're not just any brothers, they're very close brothers."

"Repeat that." Inuyasha growled, he lowered his head just enough for his bangs to cover his eyes, "Who the fuck do you think you are mocking my brother to be a peace freak?" Inuyasha raised his head again, and when he did, his eyes that had been burning with flames had frozen over with ice. "I do not know if you know that it was Sesshoumaru who cleared this very city of the crimes that had been happening again and again, nor do I care, but…" Inuyasha grabbed the front of Ayame's kimono, not caring if she was a woman, "Nobody messes with Sesshoumaru, do you understand?" Ayame was too shocked to speak, her mouth was slightly opened and her green eyes widened slightly in fear, "DO. YOU?" Inuyasha snarled, now shaking Ayame slightly.

"Do not touch my woman with your filthy paws." Came another gruff reply. Inuyasha didn't even bother looking at the owner of the gruff voice. He already knew who it was, Kouga. He couldn't even care less about what Kouga could do. He, Inuyasha, was stronger than that mangy wolf youkai, for the blood that coursed in his veins was that of the world's strongest youkai ever. He would have continued to ignore the wolf, if Kouga hadn't placed his hand firmly on Inuyasha's shoulder, the said hanyou would have continued to ignore him. But no, Kouga roughly grabbed Inuyasha's shoulder and was about to pull him away. "Do you not understand the worlds that are coming out of my mouth? Are you that insignificant?" Inuyasha said coldly, as he snapped Kouga's hand off his shoulder with one swift swat of his calloused hands.

"Wanna make something of it?" Kouga asked, his fists now clenching together.

"You dare challenge me?" Inuyasha asked while raising his eyebrow. As he said those, he slowly raised one clawed hand and cracked it. If that's the case, then very well, I shall accept your retarded challenge." With that, Inuyasha crouched on his heels and flew at Kouga with his hands behind him. The claws flexed and contracted, then relaxed when Inuyasha's claws grew to about three inches their normal size. Within minutes, Inuyasha was running full speed, he was running at an impossible speed, which was something he hadn't done in ages. Kouga's eyes enlargened as Inuyasha suddenly appeared before him. He had his claws in front of his face as if to back hand the wolf youkai in one grand sweep. BAM! Inuyasha knocked Kouga backwards, slamming the back of his hand into the youkai's face, then finishing off with one graceful sweep of his hands. His three-inch claws left a huge gash in Kouga's cheek, and the power of Inuyasha's blow sent him flying back thirty feet.

Inuyasha landed fluidly onto the ground and lowered his hand that was still in the position of the follow through of his backhand. His hand that was once peachy and clean, was now stained in bright red blood. He, however was not finished, because his knees were slightly bent so that he was ready to finish Kouga off when suddenly Kagura appeared before him. "Inuyasha, stop!" Golden eyes widened slightly, as Inuyasha just pushed off his feet, and had his hands now poised to kill. The sight of Kagura made him gasp and flip to the side so that he landed quite ungracefully on his feet, the tumbled to the floor in a confused heap. "Just WHAT are you doing? Do not tell me you were planning to kill him!"

"So what? You let that wretch go with calling Sesshoumaru a goddamn wimp?" Inuyasha pushed himself off the floor and stood at his full height, something that Kagome and the rest had never seen him do before. With him standing at his fullest height, Inuyasha looked almost as regal as his brother did. A short, but rough breeze sifted past him, making his silky and silvery hair flow beautifully in the wind. Inuyasha's head was slightly lowered and he glowered at Kouga and the rest behind Kagura with malice and hatred. "I will not lower myself to associate with pompous assholes like them." As he said that, he gave his head a rude jerk towards Kagome, Kouga, Sango, Ayame, and Miroku. "Enough said. Let's go Kagura." With that, Inuyasha calmly walked away from the now flabbergasted group.

"Inuyasha!" Kagura shouted, her red eyes flashing with anger, "The least you can do is apologize!" Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. He did not turn around, he just stood there stock-still. The only part of his body that moved were his eyes that rolled to the side to look towards Kagura and the others.

"Do not make me apologize to them. I've already told them nicely that I am not interested in their petty little protests."

Kagura sighed and turned around to apologize. But the sight of a woman with long black hair and deep brown eyes made her gasp and bring her hands to her mouth. "Oh my god…" She whispered, "It can't be…" Inuyasha suddenly whipped around and ran towards Kagura.

"What? What is it?" He asked, looking around for the offending person who shocked Kagura so bad. Kagura did not speak. She simply took one of her trembling hands away from her mouth and pointed straight towards Kagome, or maybe it was behind her. Neither Inuyasha nor Kagome would really tell. "Huh? Who's the person that wants to kill you?" Kagura's fingers clenched slowly until her index finger was pointing straight at the girl in front of her. She was shaking and pointing at the woman. "Eh?" Was Inuyasha's intelligent rely.

"Kikyou," Kagura whispered, "What are you doing here?" Inuyasha stiffened at the offending name, his cold calmness drained out of his body and was replaced with vehement anger. No, that was not the correct way to describe him, it was more like vigorous emotion, which was something that none of the five had never witnessed before. It was his side that only Sesshoumaru and Kagura knew about. Where? He asked himself, Where is she? Inuyasha took one heavy and emotional step forward, his whole body trembling with shock and joy.

"K-kikyou?"

A/N: Bwahahahahahahaha! I decided to leave it off on another cliffy… did Inuyasha and Kagura really see Kikyou? What would happen next? Find out in the next chapter: (Chapter 3) Love is the poison that taints my Heart. As for all of you, please do not think I ditched EXECUTIVE ENTREPRENEURS into the bin, because I have not. I'm just taking a break after ten chapters, but keep your eyes open around Thanksgiving for Chapter 11. I hope you liked chapter two, because I worked really hard on it! Ja ne!

Ideas that are to come for Chapter 3:

Kagura finds out the awful truth that lay outside the city walls.

Naraku begins his despicable plot

Inuyasha has a problem with the new people that have joined his and Kagome's quest.

A clue that leads Inuyasha to the guardian of the Shikon no Tama appears

They meet kaede

Someone close is murdered in Apaxipolis!

NOTICE: THIS IS NOT AN INU/KAGU STORY! SO DON'T BE ALARMED AND START FLAMING ME JUST BECAUSE INUYASHA AND KAGURA ARE SO CLOSE IN THIS STORY, BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING BETWEEN THEM. THIS IS STRICTLY AN INU/KAG, MIR/SAN, KOU/AYA, NAR/KIK, AND SESS/KAGU STORY!

ALSO, JUST BECAUSE I MADE KIKYOU THE VILLAIN OF THE STORY DOESN'T MEAN THAT I HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST HER!